In late 1999, Google launched the highly popular AdWords program giving businesses the ability to reach search engine users with clickable text ads. Since then loads of businesses have found success with online search advertising and now things are getting even better. Google’s new Expanded Text Ads is an evolution of the AdWords platform and could possibly revolutionize the way search advertising is done.
AdWords Expanded Text Ads comes on the heels of the removal of right side ads. This allows Google to offer more space to advertisers as ads will now show up in a single column search result dynamic. With the onset of mobile users increasingly accessing search results, the Expanded Text Ad platform comes at an excellent time. This new evolution plays a large role in streamlining advertisements connecting customers with exactly what they are looking for. Consequently, advertisers will receive extremely targeted traffic as users will now start to receive more relevant information on text ads.
Expanded text ads include four features:
- Two headline fields (up to 30 characters each)
- A single, expanded description field (up to 80 characters)
- A display URL that uses your final URL’s domain
- Two optional ”Path” fields, used in the ad’s display URL (up to 15 characters each).
These new features allow advertisers more control over their ads. More character allotment gives advertisers more space to share their message. This provides users more information before clicking on an ad. Therefore, when an advertiser receives clicks to their website from an Expanded Text Ad, the user is more likely stay on the website providing higher conversion probability. And how will this new development impact click through rates? Well, the opportunity to include more text means bigger ads and a lot more visibility. According to Wordstream, “early reports indicate that Expanded Text Ads are seeing CTR increase by as much as 20 percent and they’ve observed a 12% increase by just adding a call number with mobile extensions,” an additional feature of the Expanded Text Ads.
Expanded Text Ads are available on Google Search Network and the Google Display Network. Using Google AdWords’ new Expanded Text Ads is fairly simple. It’s already defaulted in current accounts. According to Google, “starting in January of 2017, AdWords will no longer support the creation or editing of standard text ads. New text ads generated after that date should use the expanded text ad format. Existing standard text ads will continue to serve past January 31, 2017. After this date, you will only be able to create and edit expanded text ads. However, existing standard text ads will continue to serve alongside expanded text ads.”
With the ability to expand text by almost 50%, more ad text available and amore headline space, advertisers can reach a more highly targeted audience to drive more qualified clicks. Qualified, targeted traffic is a big deal in the world of online advertising and thanks to Google’s latest developments in search advertising, businesses can reach even more potential customers.
